Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was on the job hunt prior to her December arrest in Canada, the Chinese telecom’s founder and Meng’s father, Ren Zhengfei said in an interview.
Ren Zhengfei, who’s also Meng’s father, told Canada’s CTV that Meng grew restless, wanting to resign and find a new job, a month before getting busted in Vancouver at the request of the US.
“She was not happy working here but after being arrested, this matter improved our relationship and now she understands how difficult life can be,” he said in interview at Huawei’s Shenzhen headquarters.
Meng remains under house arrest in Canada while the courts proceed with the case to extradite her to the US, which alleges that she deceived financial institutions and put them in a position to violate sanctions against Iran.
Ren, who’s done several interviews in recent months, previously said that her arrest was “politically motivated.” He told CTV that she’d “committed no crime.”
He said the situation wouldn’t alter how Huawei does business in Canada.
“We will not reduce our investment in Canada because of that,” he said. “Meng Wanzhou is an individual case and I don’t think it should influence in any way the relationship Canada has with Huawei.”
Huawei is among the world’s biggest providers of networking and telecommunications equipment, as well as the second-largest phone manufacturer by volume.
Despite this, it’s struggled to make a dent in the US, partly because of US government allegations that it poses an espionage threat — worries that come at the same time the US and China are engaged in a standoff over tariffs.
Huawei didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
